Through The Veil
by Michelle Clover
Summary: After their car breaks down, Natalie, her mom and her younger brother set out on foot to try to find some help and come across a small town a few miles off the highway. After her mom decides to stay, Natalie begins to realize there is something very odd about the place. Her suspicions are confirmed by a enigmatic boy named Anders who asks her to help him unravel the mystery.


**A/N- Bioware owns all rights to Dragon Age characters and likenesses. Mentioned songs owned by their respective artists, and brands by their respective corporations.**

Natalie Davis pressed her head against the back passenger's side door glass of her mother's old beat-up station wagon. Even though her garnet red hair with thick black highlights was pulled back into a tight ponytail, wisps of it blew across her eyes from the wind coming in through the rolled down front windows. Even with the windows down, it was stifling in the confined space of the car.

It was the end of August. Back in Chicago, her friends were getting ready to start the first day of their senior year while Natalie found herself stuffed in the backseat of the 1999 Taurus wagon along with her younger brother Simon and a host of suitcases, boxes and trash bags. Food wrappers, empty cups and soda bottles littered the floorboard beneath Natalie's feet, the remnants of the family's on the road meals. Everything they owned was either packed inside the old beater or strapped to the luggage rack on top, covered with a blue tarp to protect it from rain.

To get her mind off her misery, Natalie turned up the volume on her iPod. Katy Perry was singing, telling her to roar, but all Natalie wanted to do was cry. She looked down long enough to shuffle through her playlist to find a song that would fit her dark mood and came across "Pain" by Three Day's Grace. She tapped it, then turned the volume up the rest of the way before closing her lids over her azure colored eyes.

Of course, Heather Davis was excited by the prospect of starting over in a new town. Natalie understood why her mother wanted to leave Chicago. Heather had gotten into a bad relationship with a man named John. When they broke up, Natalie's mom even had to file a restraining order on the creep, but it didn't stop him from breaking into their house one night to wait for her when the family was gone. John was arrested after he put Heather in the hospital, but because it was his first offense, the judge only gave him sixty days in county jail. After Natalie's mom got released from the hospital, she immediately put their home up for sale and someone bought it for just over half of what it was worth. Once that was done, Heather sold everything they couldn't pack into the car and emptied her bank accounts. They left Chicago just three days before John was scheduled to be released.

Adam Gontier was just singing about how anger and agony were better than misery when Natalie felt a fist slam into her bicep. In her infuriation, she ripped the buds out of her ears and pulled her own fist back to wallop her little brother, who was sitting on the other side of a pile of boxes. As she reached around the obstacles, he managed to jerk back, preventing him from feeling the full force of his sister's blow but Natalie still managed to catch enough of his arm to make him cry out in pain.

Simon was always like that. He could dish it out but could never take it. Natalie's brother was the quintessential geek from his thick black-rimmed glasses beneath his sandy blonde bangs to his Assassin's Creed T-shirt. He always made straight A's in all of his classes without even really trying and spent his spare time at home playing Xbox or RPG games on his overpowered gaming PC. He reminded Natalie of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory, only a lot less cool.

"Natalie Marie Davis!" her mother scolded from the driver's seat. The girl could see the irritation in her mother's grey eyes staring at her from the rear view mirror. "Apologize to your brother right now."

"But he hit me first," Natalie argued.

"Both of you, stop it!" she bellowed. "Simon, keep your hands to yourself. Natalie, turn that crap down. If I can hear it, it's too loud."

Natalie rolled her eyes and replaced her earbuds, reducing the volume only three clicks and hoping it was enough to make her mother leave her alone. She turned her head back to the scenery outside her window and frowned. More of a whole lot of nothing. Wyoming had to be the most boring state in America, full of sprawling ranches and the occasional tiny town set back away from the interstate.

They were headed for Seattle, where Heather was hoping to find a job. She had no real leads or prospects. She was simply trying to put as much distance between herself and Chicago as possible. Natalie asked her mom why they didn't go to California, to which Heather answered that she didn't want to deal with all the earthquakes. Natalie suspected, however, moving to Seattle had more to do with her mom's obsession with Kurt Cobain.

Instead of remaining on the interstate to go through Salt Lake, the Taurus turned off onto a smaller highway leading north. Heather insisted on taking her family to see Yellowstone Park, just as her parents had done when she was Simon's age, but she had detoured to the southwestern part of Wyoming to visit her favorite aunt in Mountain View first. Natalie couldn't have cared less about seeing the national park, and she suspected Simon felt the same way, but she didn't voice her opinion. After what her mom had gone through, she figured she could at least give her that small concession without complaint.

After what seemed like hours, Natalie opened her eyes to see a sign that read, Highway 189; then a few minutes later, another one that read, Kemmerer 20 miles. She peered down to change to another song, when suddenly, the wagon began clunking and jerking and thick clouds of smoke started billowing from the hood.

"Dammit!" Heather cursed as she pulled off to the shoulder of the road. "Well, at least I have triple A."

Beads of perspiration immediately began forming on Natalie's brow as her mom grabbed the cell phone from her purse. After a few moments, Heather turned to her children in the back seat. "I can't seem to get a signal in here. I'm going to step outside and see if I can get enough bars to call us a tow."

Natalie opened her door to see if she could let some air in, or at the very least get rid of some of the smoke. She watched her mom circle around the car a few times, then into the grass several feet away before returning. "It's no use. I can't get a signal. I guess we're going to have to hoof it. Grab anything you don't want stolen, just in case and I'll lock up."

"But mom," Natalie protested. "We're in the middle of nowhere. That last sign said that the nearest town is twenty miles away."

"I don't see where we have a choice, Natti. As you said, we're in the middle of nowhere. We can't just sit here and hope that a car drives by and stops to help us. Besides, maybe we can find a house along the way."

Natalie took a doubtful look around. "If you say so, mom."

After about a mile, Natalie was thankful that the sun was starting to set, but was seriously regretting not digging through her suitcase to find her Vans. Sure, the thick-soled Maryjanes looked great with her red tartan mini skirt, black knee socks and black Suicide Silence tank, but they were definitely not made for long hikes. Simon didn't help matters any either. Every time Natalie stumbled over a rock or winced in pain from the blister that was forming on her ankle, her little brother would chuckle quietly.

Another two miles down the highway, Natalie spotted what looked to be an old cemetery off on the left with a small road just on the other side. In the distance, she saw lights which she found a bit strange because she could have sworn they weren't there a few minutes before. She debated with herself for a few moments on whether or not she should say something to her mother, but her aching feet made her decision for her.

"Hey mom," she called out to the older woman who was trudging along in front of her. "Is that a town over there?"

Heather turned her head to see what her daughter was talking about. "It certainly looks like one, and even if it's just somebody's ranch, we might at least be able to find a phone there."

Even though her feet were killing her, Natalie picked up her pace. The sooner they got to the source of those lights, the sooner she would be able to sit down. It was another good three miles before they came to a large wooden sign that read, "Welcome to Cumberland" and a quaint looking little town beyond. The main street that cut through the middle of the town was full of small shops with darkened windows telling the Davis family that they were closed for the evening. There wasn't a soul in sight as they made their way down the darkened road. One service station sat on the left beyond the six sets of attached shops, but it was closed as well. Across the street on the right, there was a slightly larger building with no windows and the sound of bad country music being played by a cover band pouring out from it.

"There are people in there, mom," Simon observed as he pointed to the building.

Heather sighed. "Yeah, but I really don't want to take you guys into a bar…Especially not in a town where we don't know anybody. If we can't find anywhere else, we'll come back."

On the next block, the three travelers finally found what they were looking for. There was a small diner on the other side of a group of fir trees and it appeared to be open. Heather smiled at her two children. "What do you say we get some supper while we're here?"

"Cool" Simon voiced. "I'm starving."

"Sure," Natalie shrugged.

The inside of the restaurant seemed crowded for such a small town, but the three of them managed to locate an empty booth in the far corner. Almost immediately after they sat down, they were approached by a woman who didn't look to be much older than Natalie. She passed out three menus and three sets of silverware wrapped in paper napkins as she spoke.

"Welcome to Dane's. My name is Bella and I'll be your server for the evening. Can I start you folks out with something to drink?"

Natalie and Simon said, "Coke" at the same time, while Heather looked at the drink selection on the back of her menu. "Iced tea," she told the waitress. "Unsweetened, please."

"Two Cokes and an unsweetened tea," Bella said as she scribbled on her order pad. "I'll be right back."

Natalie looked over her own menu, and just as she expected, there weren't a lot of options. There was one full page of breakfast items with the words, _Breakfast served from 6-11 am_ in bold type across the top. The opposite page listed different sandwich options such as burgers, grilled cheese and BLT's served with your choice of fries or chips and a dill pickle on the side. The next page was the regular dinner menu…country fried steak with mashed potatoes, fried fish and chips, meatloaf, shepard's pie, and lamb and pea stew. On the back was the drink options along with the words, _Try our pie of the day. Only_ _$2.00 a slice. Ala mode $1.00 extra_.

Natalie scrunched up her face. No salad. It figured. She couldn't stomach the thought of another greasy burger and fries and nothing on the dinner menu looked appetizing, so when the waitress returned with their drinks she opted for a BLT with potato chips. Simon, being a fourteen year old creature of habit, ordered the bacon cheeseburger while their mom chose the stew. Bella wrote down their order and slid the pad in the pocket of her apron, but before she could take it to the cook, Heather stopped her.

"I was just wondering, is there a tow service in this town?"

"Owen runs the gas station down the street, but he's closed for the night. You'll have to wait until morning."

"He can't do it tonight? Even if I pay him extra?"

The waitress shook her head. "You don't want him trying it tonight. He's down at Corff's Bar, probably drunk as a skunk already."

Heather scowled in frustration. "Well, is there a hotel around here where my children and I can stay? Our car broke down on the highway and I really don't want to have to walk all the way back there just to turn around and come back tomorrow morning."

"Dane's got some rooms out back. We don't really get visitors in Cumberland so I'm sure he has a couple open that aren't already taken up by the regulars. I can ask for you."

"That would be great," Heather smiled before sitting forward to take a sip of her tea.

As they waited for their food, Natalie busied herself by taking a look around the room. Most of the people there were older and not particularly interesting looking until her eyes landed on a younger blonde man, about Natalie's age, sitting alone at a table near the window. His dark blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail with just a few tendrils of varying lengths brushing against his brow. He wore a long sleeved black button down shirt, black jeans and a pair of black leather boots. He regarded Natalie with piercing amber eyes for a long moment, causing her stomach to fill with a thousand butterflies, before returning to his food. She continued to stare fixatedly at him, unable to turn away. She hoped that he would notice, but he never looked in her direction again. She was focused so intently on the mysterious man, in fact, that she didn't realize Bella had returned with their order and nearly jumped out of her skin when Simon thwacked her arm.

"I'm sorry…what?"

"BLT?"

Natalie grinned sheepishly as she took the plate from the woman's hand. "Yeah…sorry."

Once the waitress was gone again, Heather arched a curious brow before slowly turning her head to see what had so enraptured her daughter. When she turned back to face Natalie, she was wearing a knowing smirk. "He is cute. I'll give you that, Natti."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Mother, please."

The older woman shrugged. "Well he is. I'm not _that _old, you know."

Natalie blew exasperatedly at her bangs before waggling her head and taking a bite of her sandwich. The bacon was crispy, but not completely hard, just the way she liked it and the lettuce and tomatoes were fresh. The toast wasn't overly browned and it had just the right amount of mayonnaise on it. In fact, it was the best meal Natalie had eaten since they left Chicago. It was better than the fast food they had been living on for the past week and certainly a lot better than the food her great Aunt Ivy had made.

Once she was finished with her meal, Natalie decided to sneak another peek at the guy near the window only to discover that he was gone. Her shoulders slumped as she grabbed her glass of soda and sat back with a forlorn sigh. Her mother gave her a pouty face.

"What's wrong Nat? Did your boyfriend leave?"

The younger woman gave another eye roll and a, "Whatever, mom," causing Heather to chuckle.

Because each of the rooms at the little inn only had one full size bed, Natalie's mom was forced to rent two so Simon could have a bed to himself while the two women shared a bed. It was an ugly room, decorated with paintings of pink and yellow flowers and striped wallpaper, but the beds were comfortable enough. Natalie just wished she had brought a change of clothes with her or at least a nightgown. Instead, she opted to remove her socks and skirt and slept in only her tank and underwear while Heather remained in her denim shorts and t-shirt.

When Natalie awoke the next morning, her mom was already gone. She got up and pulled on her skirt before making her way to the bathroom down the hall. After splashing some cold water on her face and brushing out her shoulder-length hair, she at least felt halfway human again. When she opened the door, she found Simon waiting on the other side. He pushed past her with a grunt before slamming the door in her face.

"Good morning to you too," she called through the door.

"Shut up" came his muffled growl in reply.

Natalie returned to her room and gathered her few belongings. There was no television in the room, so she retrieved her iPod from her purse and put in her earbuds before lying back on the bed to wait for her mom. As she listened to Shakira sing "Empire", Natalie couldn't help but be reminded of the guy from the restaurant. Her face grew hot as she thought about his hands entangled in her hair as his lips touched hers. He moved his hand down to her waist and pulled her body in closer to his. His mouth moved down to her neck where he began to softly suck on her skin.

She jumped when she felt a hand touch her leg and opened her eyes to see her mom standing over her. "How many times have I told you to keep your music down?" she yelled. Natalie paused her music and pulled the buds out of her ears before sitting up on the bed. She swung her thin legs over the side before tucking her right one under her bottom. Heather shook her head. "You're going to be deaf before you turn twenty if you keep it up."

Natalie, choosing to ignore her mother's admonishment, asked,. "Well, did you get somebody to tow the car?"

"Yes, I rode with that guy Owen to go get it first thing this morning."

"So, how long before he can have it fixed?"

Heather frowned. "Well, there's a problem. He told me that it's going to cost a lot more to fix it than what it's worth and he won't do the repairs because he doesn't want to cheat me. A mechanic with a conscience. Go figure, right?"

"So…what? We're stuck here?"

The older woman sighed as she sat down next to her daughter. "There's more. You know how we planned to go to Seattle but I didn't really have anything set in stone once we got there, right?"

Natalie's brow furrowed with reluctance. "Yes…And?"

"Well, I've got good news. Dane, the owner of this place, he offered me a job."

"Doing what exactly?" the younger woman scowled. "Waiting tables?"

"No, keeping his books. Apparently, he owns some rental properties as well as the inn and the restaurant. And who knows? Maybe I can establish my own accounting firm here after a while. He even has a three bedroom house a few blocks from here that he's willing to sell me at a really reasonable price. He says it needs some work, but I think the three of us could manage it."

Natalie shook her head. "You can't be serious, mom. There's nothing here. What happened to Seattle?"

"Think about it, Natti. If I want to go somewhere where John will never find me, this is it. I checked the road atlas I had in the car, and this place isn't even on the map. It's perfect."

"What about school? Does this place even have one?"

"Of course it does. It's right down at the end of Main Street, dead ends into it in fact."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Natalie huffed. She looked into her mother's steely eyes and couldn't help but notice the scar above her right lid…the scar that John had given to her the night he tried to beat her to death. For the first time in a long time, Natalie saw a glimmer of hope on her mom's face. As much as she was sure she was going to hate Cumberland, she couldn't deny her mother a chance at happiness. "Okay, mom," she sighed. "If this is what you really want."

Heather beamed brightly before giving her daughter a big hug. "It's going to be great, Natti. You'll see and you'll make lots of new friends before you know it." Natalie could only nod at those words as her mother stood and headed for the door. "Get your stuff, Nat. We're going to go take a look at our new house." She stopped at the door and turned around with a smirk. "His name's Anders, by the way."

"Who?" Natalie asked with curiosity.

"That cute guy from the diner."


End file.
